In this issue of the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Listserv, April 21,
2016:
1. “Electrical Safety for Everyone” Follow-up
2. New Technology in Lab Coat Safety
3. EPA Inspection Recap
4. Be Prepared for Severe Weather
5. Safety Shorts – Lightning & Tornado
6. Safety Committees, Snippets and Other Resources
7. Safety Poster – Excellence Happens Safely
8. EHS Requests Your Feedback
9. Revised Safe Operating Procedures
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1. “Electrical Safety for Everyone” Follow-up
The recent spring colloquium presented by Kevin Booker, Chief State Electrical
Inspector of Nebraska, is now available online. Electrical safety information for all
UNL workers may be found in the Safe Operating Procedure (SOP), General
Electrical Safety, which is expanded upon by the web-based training module,
General Electrical Safety Awareness.
Resources
 EHS Safety Colloquium Series
http://ehs.unl.edu/training/Colloquium
 EHS web-based training General Electrical Safety Awareness
http://ehs.unl.edu/web-based-training#ElectricalSafety
 EHS SOP General Electrical Safety http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/selectricalsafety.pdf
2. New Technology in Lab Coat Safety
Laboratory research can involve a wide variety of chemical hazards, including
flammable materials and caustics. Conventional lab coats are typically made of
cotton or cotton/polyester blends, both of which are flammable and will ignite when
exposed to flames. Over the past few years flame-resistant (FR) lab coats have
come into wider use due to increasing awareness of laboratory safety driven by
reports of fires, injury and death at various academic institutions. A drawback of
typical FR coats is that they are not chemical resistant and many chemicals will
immediately permeate the fabric, sometimes even burning holes into it.
Workrite Uniforms recently unveiled a new line of lab coats that they refer to as
FR/CP® (Flame Resistant and Chemical Splash Protection). These lab coats are
constructed of a FR fiber that is particularly well suited to the lab environment due to
the ability to resist degradation from chemical contact. Chemical splash protection
garments work by preventing the penetration and wicking of many liquid chemicals,
which minimizes the potential for injury from chemical burns. These latest FR/CP®
lab coats are lightweight, have a breathable feel and allow ease of movement for lab
workers. They are identified with a specific tag and a black collar and are available
through a variety of lab coat suppliers.
Resources:
 Mark Saner. “Protective Apparel: The Science of Laboratory Safety.”
Occupational Safety & Health digital edition. March 2016.
https://ohsonline.com/articles/2016/03/01/the-science-of-laboratory-safety.aspx
 Occupational Safety & Health Webinar Series On Demand. “New Technology in
Lab Safety: Flame-Resistant, Chemical-Splash Protection.” (register/login to
access this “on demand” presentation from April 7, 2016).
https://ohsonline.com/webcasts/2016/02/new-technology-in-labsafety.aspx?admgarea=Webinar&tc=page0
 Workrite web site http://www.workritefr.com/frcp-lab-coats/
3. EPA Inspection Recap
An inspector from Region 7 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
recently conducted a hazardous waste compliance inspection of UNL’s East
Campus facility. While the inspection went very well, it is an opportunity to reinforce
those steps that the campus community must take to ensure compliance.
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Be sure that all containers used to collect waste chemicals are properly
labeled. Labels must include the word “used” or “spent” and the proper
chemical name of all constituents in the container (e.g., acetone,
methanol). If the labeling becomes damaged or illegible, relabel the
container.
Be sure that the material of construction of all containers used to collect
waste chemicals is compatible with the contents to be added. Also be
sure that all constituents to be added to the container are compatible with
each other.
Be sure that collection containers are securely closed at all times except
when immediately adding material to the container.
Stage the container in the same room where the waste materials are
generated until it is picked up by EHS. Do not transport the container to
another location while awaiting pickup by EHS.
Do not overfill the container. Leave adequate headspace (e.g., 1 – 3”).
Promptly tag filled collection containers for EHS pickup. If conducting an
inventory reduction, consult EHS for specific guidance.
Resources
 EHS Waste Management Safe Operating Procedures (SOPs)
http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/waste-management
4. Be Prepared for Severe Weather
Whether you work on campus or in the field, do you know what to do in the event of
severe weather? It may have been some time since you took the EHS web-based
Emergency Preparedness training so now is a good time to review that online
module and related resources. It might also be a good time to review UNL’s
Emergency Preparedness website.
A number of areas have established Emergency Action Plans. Does your building
have one? If not, now might be a good time to help set one up. You can download a
template from UNL’s Emergency Preparedness website. Assistance/consultation
regarding completion is only an email away, by contacting preparedness@unl.edu.
Mark Robertson, Emergency Management Coordinator, can help facilitate
development of an Emergency Action Plan if there are many departments in a
particular building.
The EHS Safe Operating Procedure Communication of Work Area Safety
Information contains a checklist with various items including a section on
“Emergency Preparedness.” The checklist assists both workers and supervisors by
identifying relevant action items for new/current workers.
Resources
 EHS web-based Emergency Preparedness training
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http://ehs.unl.edu/web-based-training#EP
UNL Emergency Planning and Preparedness web site
http://emergency.unl.edu/
National Weather Service Lightning Safety Tips
http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/
UNL Emergency Preparedness “Really Obvious” Preparedness Facts
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh0k4GzppsqEyNcNx-fxPRIdpChERTQH
EHS Safe Operating Procedure Communication of Work Area Safety
Information http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/s-workareasafety.pdf
5. Safety Shorts – Lightning & Tornado
This series features links to short safety resources each month. These videos talk
about a variety of hazards widely applicable across the university, including field
research, agricultural operations, landscape duties, maintenance operations, and
more. The focus this month is severe weather.
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Lightning Safety with LeeAnn Allegretto (NWS Missoula MT, 5:22
minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMOFxrAWquk
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Get Weather Ready: During a Tornado (US National Weather Service, 1:41
minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5TiTfuvotc
NOTE: Resources are provided for informational purposes only. Publication does
not in any way endorse a particular company or product or affect current UNL
policies and procedures.
6. Safety Committees, Snippets & Other Resources
Does your department/area/facility have a safety program or is thinking about
developing one? Safety committees are a valuable tool toward development of a
culture of safety in all areas. If you are interested in forming a Safety Committee
EHS is here to help. A few of the ways we can assist are:
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Safety Committee set-up
Planning and operational suggestions
Facilitation of vendor-provided training
If you currently have a Safety Committee and are not already in communication with
EHS, contact Elizabeth (Betsy) Howe, ehowe2@unl.edu or 402-472-5488, to join
the group of identified safety committees/safety contacts and interact regularly with
a safety professional. Are you doing something unique or successful that you
would like to share with other safety committees? Are there issues you are
struggling with? We can put you in touch with other UNL safety committees in areas
with a similar focus.
EHS has recently added an online resource called “Safety Snippets” for safety
committees or others working with safety throughout their sphere of influence. Each
"snippet" is a synopsis of a longer article on a specific topic (source provided).
Safety Snippets, past Listserv articles and Safety Posters may now be readily
accessed through the “Safety Resources” tab in the top red navigation bar on the
EHS web site.
Resources
 Safety Committees http://ehs.unl.edu/committees
 Safety Snippets http://ehs.unl.edu/safety-snippets
7. Safety Poster – Excellence Happens Safely
EHS provides a number of safety posters of relevance to the campus community.
The poster highlighted this month serves to remind those working in laboratories of a
few basic safety precautions.
Request your FREE poster(s) today. Contact ehs@unl.edu or 402-472-4925 with
your name, campus mailing address, and quantity desired. Review other FREE
posters at: http://ehs.unl.edu/safety-posters. If you have an idea for a safety poster
you would like to become available, contact Elizabeth (Betsy) Howe,
ehowe2@unl.edu, 402-472-5488.
8. EHS Requests Your Feedback
Environmental Health and Safety is committed to excellent customer service and
offers a Customer Satisfaction Survey as an easy method for the campus
community to provide feedback on our services and staff. By taking a few moments
to complete the survey (http://ehs.unl.edu/survey), you will be helping us to identify
areas where we might need to focus our attention. Your participation is greatly
appreciated.
Please feel free to contact Brenda Osthus, EHS Director, at 402-472-4927 or
bosthus1@unl.edu if you would rather communicate outside the parameters of this
survey.
9. Revised Safe Operating Procedures
 Import and Transfer of Etiologic and Other CDC Regulated Agents SOP
http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/s-ship_etiologic_agents.pdf
This SOP has been updated to reflect current CDC information about obtaining a
permit. A link has been added to the CDC e-Tool for determining if a permit is
required. The document now references EHS SOPs on packaging and shipping
hazardous materials/dangerous goods.
 Importing Animals and Animal Products SOP
http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/s-import_animals.pdf
Web links were updated to the correct addresses.
 Laboratory Decommissioning SOP
http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/s-lab_decom.pdf
Added additional instruction on proper labeling of waste materials and advised
against removal of radiation labeling until decontamination is verified by EHS.
 Non-Genetically Engineered Plant-Related Articles Requiring APHIS
Permits SOP
http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/s-ship_aphis_permits.pdf
Title changed to remove the word “transfer” after “APHIS”. Added section on
importation of Plant Growth Enhancers (Soil amendments/plant health or growth
enhancers are materials that typically are added to soil, plants, or the plantgrowth environment to enhance plant growth.)
 Shipping Infectious Substances With or Without Dry Ice SOP
http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/s-ship_infectious_substances.pdf
Added additional instruction on proper labeling of waste materials and advised
against removal of radiation labeling until decontamination is verified by EHS.
Remember...SAFETY IS AN ATTITUDE!
Environmental Health and Safety
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
3630 East Campus Loop
Lincoln, NE 68583-0824
(402) 472-4925
http://ehs.unl.edu